The Eagles yesterday "received a June 5 invitation to the White House," but it is not known "how many players will go," according to a front-page piece by Zach Berman of the PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER. Eagles S Malcolm Jenkins "repeated his decision to skip the 'photo op'" yesterday while he attended a charity event. Jenkins: "Some guys have dreamed about winning a championship and taking that trip to the White House, and we're not going to deny that to anybody. But there are also a lot of guys who are passionate about not going." Jenkins in February said that he "would not get in the way of teammates who wanted to attend." The Eagles' invitation and possible visits have "received added scrutiny this year because [President Donald] Trump spoke out against the NFL player who demonstrated during the national anthem last season." Eagles Owner Jeffrey Lurie, who has "supported his players in social activism, reportedly spoke out against Trump" at the player-owner meeting in N.Y. in October (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 5/18). NBC SPORTS PHILADELPHIA's Dave Zangaro noted last year, the Patriots "visited the White House on April 19, 2017, so this trip will come considerably later." Players like Jenkins, DE Chris Long and DE Brandon Graham "have already said they won't." Jenkins said that he will be in DC with his teammates "but won't go to the White House." It seems the Eagles "might be planning something else as well." Another "slight hurdle" is the date. The Eagles "are in their last round of voluntary OTAs during that time." The final round of OTAs "runs from June 4-7, leading into the mandatory minicamp in mid-June" (NBCSPORTSPHILADELPHIA.com, 5/17).
